Housing Affordability Crisis

Housing

ACTION TO ADDRESS THE  HOUSING CRISIS IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS

There is hardly any affordable or secure housing available for people in our area to rent or buy. Many people have had to move out of the area, away from their friends, support networks, jobs, schools and community. Uprooting people is a symptom of a crisis not a cure for one.

We have seen unprecedented housing stress in the Northern rivers, brought about by: the rapid growth of an unregulated short-term holiday letting industry, increases of up to 30% in property values, almost no supply of rental properties for residents and urban buyers flocking to the area during Covid-19.

At any one time there are 2000-3000 houses in the Ballina electorate that have been booked through short-term holiday letting agencies. That’s an average of 6000 adults and 6000-10,000 children who reside in our community who could live in those homes if those properties were available as permanent rentals.

We must support people’s right to access secure, safe and affordable housing. Housing insecurity affects everybody in our community; the homeless, people in public and community housing, private renters, first home buyers, single parents, women, children and everyday working people.

To the NSW Premier and the State Government,

The housing crisis in the Northern Rivers is in desperate need of targeted solutions. To ensure people in our community have access to safe and secure housing options. We are asking you to:

  • Support Byron Shire Council to Regulate short-term holiday letting in Byron 
  • End no-grounds evictions in NSW, and
  • Amend the affordable housing SEPP to provide 30 year leases

Please sign the petition calling on the NSW State Government to take meaningful action to end the housing crisis in our region.

Who's signing

Geoffrey Southward
Martin James
Marie Peckham
Daniel Wise
Alan Brennan
Christine
Ray Hahn
Samantha Smith
Melinda McGrath
Joan Davies
Emmalene Dick
Sabella Westcott
Sharon Burstall-Evans
Andrew Hodges
Veronica Dwyer
Peter Grut
Richard Everist
Emma Charton
Byron Grieves-Handley
Rosina Grieves
Colin Peckham
Michelle
Colleen Clarke
Roy Peltonen
Lindsay Pepper
Marsha Tauber
Zoe Hancock
Rick Frkocic
Suzanne Cox
Catherine Daley
1,165
10,000 signatures

Will you sign?

Showing 867 reactions

  • Geoffrey Southward
    signed 2021-04-15 17:58:16 +1000
  • Martin James
    signed 2021-04-15 16:34:42 +1000
  • Marie Peckham
    signed 2021-04-15 16:02:26 +1000
    We desperately need much more affordable housing in this area. Rents have increased and soon our local workers will be unable to stay and work in this area. That happened in Silicone Valley years ago, they had to bus people in from outside to work as teachers and firemen and nurses etc. We don’t want it to come to that. In UK when they build a housing estate they have to include cheaper accomodation, often people rent and can buy the house later on. Why is Australia not doing that?
  • Daniel Wise
    signed 2021-04-15 15:45:10 +1000
  • Alan Brennan
    signed 2021-04-15 15:42:48 +1000
  • Christine
    signed 2021-04-15 15:34:38 +1000
  • Ray Hahn
    signed 2021-04-15 15:06:03 +1000
    Rental prices are insane in Ballina. I’m on a pension and rent increase two months ago was almost $100 a month.. With increase in rent, food, elec., petrol going up etc. hundreds of pensioners and low income earners are struggling to make ends meet . I’ve lived in Ballina Shire for more then 40 years and now thinking about moving to a different town where rents are reasonable.
  • Samantha Smith
    signed 2021-04-15 14:51:57 +1000
  • Melinda McGrath
    signed 2021-04-15 14:37:18 +1000
  • Joan Davies
    signed 2021-04-15 13:59:30 +1000
  • Emmalene Dick
    signed 2021-04-15 13:47:35 +1000
  • Sabella Westcott
    signed 2021-04-15 13:42:41 +1000
    Thank you for organising this petition! It’s a cause I am very passionate about!
  • Sharon Burstall-Evans
    signed 2021-04-15 13:36:16 +1000
    We have just moved to a new rental after being homeless for 3 weeks after our previous rental was sold. It has been a nightmare and at 61yo it was very scary. We have lived in Suffolk for 32 years but current prices for rentals and the competition with others made it near impossible to find a new rental. We were very lucky to find our new rental and we only got it as the owner wanted long term locals in her rental and thankfully did not want big $$’s. The permanent and long term affordable rental situation here is just plain WRONG !! The social diversity of this area is fractured and many are moving away, many businesses cannot get workers as it is too expensive to rent here and it is not worth the workers coming to work here with petrol costs, insufficient public transport let alone Byrons traffic chaos. Please, something needs to change there are too many families, especially with kids, who are currently homeless. AieBNB should have a cap on how many are allowed in the area, not just a 90 day cap. Affordable housing is paramount to the healthy social make up of any community.
  • Andrew Hodges
    signed 2021-04-15 13:26:10 +1000
  • Veronica Dwyer
    signed 2021-04-15 13:15:45 +1000
  • Peter Grut
    signed 2021-04-15 13:09:42 +1000
  • Richard Everist
    signed 2021-04-15 12:55:02 +1000
  • Emma Charton
    signed 2021-04-15 12:45:32 +1000
  • Byron Grieves-Handley
    signed 2021-04-15 11:33:30 +1000
    Aboriginal housing should be made a priority
  • Rosina Grieves
    signed 2021-04-15 11:31:24 +1000
  • Colin Peckham
    signed 2021-04-15 11:16:07 +1000
    My daughter is paying too much in rent
  • Michelle
    signed 2021-04-15 11:11:54 +1000
  • Colleen Clarke
    signed 2021-04-15 10:34:47 +1000
    Believe you should also address development of land such as the new constructions of houses on the western approach to Lennox Head from Ballina across from beaches. As the subsequent landfill etcetera has unknown consequences to the surrounding area such as flooding of roads and erosion of our beaches. Council should never have been allowed to zone areas like these it is destroying the natural beauty of our shire…
  • Roy Peltonen
    signed 2021-04-15 10:04:41 +1000
  • Lindsay Pepper
    signed 2021-04-15 09:44:37 +1000
  • Marsha Tauber
    signed 2021-04-15 09:09:49 +1000
  • Zoe Hancock
    signed 2021-04-15 08:47:49 +1000
  • Rick Frkocic
    signed 2021-04-15 07:35:35 +1000
  • Suzanne Cox
    signed 2021-04-15 07:10:28 +1000
    Unfortunately short term holiday rentals are on the rise even in Ocean Shores which is of concern as this is a very surburban lifestyle development. Events like Spendour in the Grass and Blues Fest being in closer proximity to Ocean Shores / South Golden Beach now has increased the appeal for owners and investors to go down the short term accommodation route rather than support families and individual long term tenancies.
  • Catherine Daley
    signed 2021-04-15 07:02:15 +1000

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